SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — The Blue Angels took flight over the Bay Area Thursday afternoon as the fighter jets held their first practice ahead of the scheduled weekend air shows for San Francisco Fleet Week.
The air show practice started at around 1 p.m. with the fighter jets flying over San Francisco and the East Bay after taking off from the Oakland International Airport.
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The stunt flyers are scheduled to perform at around 3:15 p.m. each day during festivities held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The full air show schedule for the weekend can be found online here.
There are also a number of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships already docked along the San Francisco waterfront open for tours by the public as part San Francisco Fleet Week festivities.
The ships are in town through this weekend at the Port of San Francisco.
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Visitors can get a look at the lives of sailors in the Navy and Coast Guard. They can also climb aboard on amphibious carriers and cruisers.
San Francisco is the only fleet week the Navy is participating in this year.
“It’s very exciting for the crews on our ships — for the visiting sailors, for the marines — because this is the first fun thing they’ve been able to do since the pandemic,” said Navy spokesperson Brian O’Rourke.
San Francisco Department of Emergency Management officials are encouraging residents and attendees to sign up for Alert SF to receive public safety messages during Fleet Week. To sign up, text “fleetweeksf” to 88877.
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For more information regarding the full schedule of events happening and to buy grandstand tickets to the air show this weekend, visit the San Francisco Fleet Week website.